When encouragement finds you in silence
There are seasons in life when even the things we once loved deeply begin to feel distant like strangers. The passion we once carried so boldly starts to fade. Not because we don’t care anymore, but because we’ve grown tired. Tired of trying, tired of not seeing results. Tired of feeling stuck. And sometimes, without even realizing it, we begin to give up on something that once lit our hearts on fire.
It might be a talent, a calling, a passion we nurtured in childhood, something that used to feel so natural. But with time, challenges come in, self-doubt creeps in, and we start questioning whether we were ever good at it to begin with. That slow decline is the kind that no one else may notice until one day, someone speaks up.
I recently had an experience that reminded me how powerful it is when someone sees you even when you no longer see yourself clearly. After a Sunday service, an older man pulled me aside. He didn’t waste time on small talk, he went straight to the point. He remembered how I used to shine in a particular area. Something I had since neglected not because I didn’t care, but because I had convinced myself it didn’t matter anymore. I didn’t feel like I was improving, so I slowly pulled back.
But there he was, telling me how he used to admire it every time I did it. How he looked forward to watching me grow in that gift. And then, with a kind but firm voice, he said, Please don’t backslide, Don’t stop, It’s something beautiful.”*
That moment struck me deeply. Here I was, silently fighting discouragement, not realizing someone out there had been silently cheering me on. Sometimes, all it takes is one voice. One person reminding you that your presence, your gift, your light, still matters.
It made me reflect. How many people have we given up on, or even overlooked, simply because they stopped showing up in the way they used to? How many talents go silent because they didn’t feel seen or appreciated anymore?
The truth is, discouragement is heavy. It’s silent, slow, and painful. But belief, especially when it comes from others can be healing. It revives, It restores, It reminds us that even when we can’t see results now, there is value in keeping the flame alive.
Sometimes, God uses people to redirect us to our path. Just when you’re ready to throw it all away, someone shows up, not to flatter you, but to remind you of what you once carried with pride. That’s not coincidence, that’s purpose in motion.
So to anyone reading this who’s been quietly giving up, who has stopped trying because you feel unnoticed or unseen, please pause. Someone is watching. Someone is learning from you. Someone is still believing in your gift, even when you’ve started doubting it yourself.
Don’t let discouragement be the final chapter of your story. That thing you think no one notices might be the very thing that inspires someone else. Keep showing up, not for applause, but for purpose. Keep growing even slowly. Keep holding on to the version of you that once believed anything was possible.
Because belief, whether from within or through another, can reignite what you thought was lost. And sometimes, that’s all we need to begin again.